PEARL: Ti West's Latest is a Real Gem

My oh my, what a technicolor hellscape Ti West has wrought. I feel like we in the horror community are bringing back the “You’ve just gotta see it!” sentimentality. So, in keeping with the spirit, I’m not going to give you any spoilers. I’ll give you but one phrase I thought up in the theater: strawdoggin’. 

If you aren’t familiar with the latest entry in the X trilogy, Pearl, let me give you a quick rundown. Pearl is a prequel to X that was secretly shot at the same time and focuses on one of its antagonists. And boy howdy, does it. Pearl, played by Mia Goth, dreams of dancing her way onto stages and into the hearts of the entry country, all while unraveling. Fortunately for us, her unraveling leads to one of the best horror monologues I’ve seen, outside of Toni Colette’s in Hereditary. 

Pearl begins like a film you’d see on Turner Classic Movies ⸺ you almost expect the movie to have commentary breaks throughout. However, you can’t shake the unsettling feeling you have from the opening credits. It starts down in the tips of your toes and gradually moves all the way up to your jaw, as you both laugh and gasp. Not one second of the running time is wasted, down to the credits. You’re completely enamored by Pearl. She commands the screen by the way of Garland, but with the spirit of the Sawyer family. 

Also, some of the creepiest parts of Pearl lie within Mia Goth’s subtle mannerisms. The way she shushes the scarecrow. The way she looks deeply into the screen. The snot pouring from her nose as she weeps. Pearl’s life is simply a movie we shouldn’t be watching. Yet, here we are. 

I truly appreciate Pearl because it ties up many a loose end from X. We walk out understanding her resentment towards Brittany Snow, the cast and crew of X, and even why the fetishization of a Farmer’s Daughter causes her to snap. I would recommend rewatching X before grabbing your ticket to Pearl because when it comes to callbacks, X marks the spot. But, do buy your ticket to Pearl because I believe its charm will best be captured on the big screen. 

If you’re looking for an unsettling, beautifully edited slaughterfest that simultaneously pays tribute to the movies of the 30s and 40s, you’ve found it, my friend. She may not be dripping with diamonds, but Pearl shines with the best of them.